Ischinger said on Friday he deeply regretted that Russian government representatives had rejected invitations to join the conference. Ischinger has held the reins at the conference for 14 years. MSC chair: 'I believe that war is avoidable'īaerbock and Blinken, will be, among other things, heading a discussion entitled "Unlearning Helplessness: Meeting Global Challenges." That discussion will be hosted by Christoph Heusgen, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's adviser on foreign security policy, who has been tapped to succeed Ischinger as MSC chairman. Guests include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be among those to deliver speeches. More than 100 ministers and more than 30 heads of state and government are attending the Munich meeting. but we are also committed, if Russia takes aggressive action, to ensure there will be severe consequence in terms of the sanctions we have discussed,'' Harris told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during the conference. "We remain, of course, open to and desirous of diplomacy. US Vice President Kamala Harris said there was still hope that Russia would de-escalate but added the US was ready to hit Moscow with tough sanctions in the event of an attack. Blinken questioned whether Moscow was on the same page.īlinken said "we are deeply concerned" that Russia may not be embarking on a diplomatic path. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of unity as he spoke, and said that all efforts were being made for there to be a diplomatic solution.
Baerbock: 'It's no Ukraine crisis, it's a Russia crisis'